How to Write a Front Desk Receptionist Resume (Examples)

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What to highlight in a front desk receptionist resume

An effective receptionist resume will be well-presented and results-driven, with a focus on previous experience as a front office receptionist or in related fields like administrative support and customer service. Highlight your experience performing administrative tasks, scheduling appointments, managing company data, greeting visitors, taking phone calls, procuring office equipment and completing paperwork.
 
Along with these role-specific hard skills, you should also cover certain soft skills like communication and organization. Many of the required skills of a receptionist are transferable and can be evidenced with other work experience.

How to write your front desk receptionist resume

The structure of your receptionist resume will vary depending on your chosen resume format. You have three options:

• Chronological resume — Emphasizes work experience
• Functional resume — Focuses on skills
• Combination resume — Balances skills and work experience

The chronological format is the preferred format of most recruiters and hiring managers. This resume format is best for those with several years of work experience.
 

Contact information

 
Add your contact information to the resume header at the top of the page. You must include your full name, location, phone number and email address. Present this information clearly so the hiring manager can easily contact you should they wish to schedule you for an interview. Also include links to your job networking profiles like Linkedin.
 

Resume summary or objective

 
The resume summary or resume objective is a brief profile of yourself as a candidate. There is a slight difference between the two. When should you write a summary on a resume, and when should you write a resume objective?
A resume summary provides an overview of your key skills and experiences, while a resume objective states your career aspirations. If you already have several years of experience as a receptionist, a resume summary will work best. If you are just starting out in your career or you are changing careers, a resume objective works well.  
 

Skills

Use the resume skills section to tailor your resume to the role. Read through the job description and pick out some of the listed skills to include in your resume. Hard skills applicable to the role of a front desk receptionist include:

• Data entry
• Email management
• Microsoft Office
• Supply management
• Bilingualism

Soft skills may include:

• Communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Customer service skills
• Time management
• Problem-solving
• Multitasking

Cover a mix of soft and hard skills in your resume to truly show that you have the qualifications to perform the job successfully.

Work history

 
In the work experience section, run through your previous job titles held over the past 10 years and list them in reverse-chronological order, with your most recent job listed first. For each position, list your responsibilities and significant accomplishments relevant to the role of a receptionist in bullet points. If you don’t have receptionist experience, you can still discuss other roles provided that they draw on similar skills. Any job involving administrative tasks or customer service will be worth discussing here. Be sure to include the company, your job title and dates of employment.
 

Education

 
List your highest level of education in the education section. This could be a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree. You should also include relevant training programs in this section, such as MS Office certification.